INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION OPERATIONS

							    INTRODUCTION TO
INFORMATION OPERATIONS
             AIM

To provide an introduction and
overview of Information Operations
(Info Ops) with respect to its
fundamentals, concepts and its
application
             REFERENCES
• B-GL-300-005-FP-001, Land Forces Information
  Operations
• Doctrinal Note 002 Land Force Targeting
• CF Info Ops Policy for Full Spectrum
  Operations – Draft v7
• Info Ops Policy for CF International Operations
• B-GL-300-007/FP-001 Firepower
• AJP 3-9-2 Land Targeting
• B-GL-300-001/FP-001 - Land Ops
• B-GL-323-004/FP-003 COIN
    MAIN TEACHING POINTS
•   Definition
•   The OODA Loop and Info Ops
•   Focus
•   Operating Environment
•   Principles
•   Info Ops Core Activity Area and Targets
•   Defensive and Offensive Info Ops
•   Tool box (Enablers)
•   Physical Plane and Psychological Plane
•   Integration
            INFO OPS MYTHS
Beliefs about Info Ops:
•   Only about themes and messages
•   You can go and Info Ops this village, tribe or unit
•   It has a magic powder bag to mitigate an incident
•   Info Ops done in stove pipe: the Info Ops
    Plan...(Isolation)
What Info Ops actually is:
• A staff function that coordinates and synchronizes
  Influence Activities (IA), thus acting as a multiplier
  to support the Comd’s Plan or objective
            DEFINITION
Land Ops defines Information Operations as:
 ―coordinated actions to create desired effects on
 the will, understanding and capability of
 adversaries, potential adversaries and other
 approved parties in support of overall objectives
 by affecting their information, information-based
 processes and systems while exploiting and
 protecting one’s own.‖
    INFO OPS AND
   THE OODA LOOP
           OBSERVATION




         AKA BOYD LOOP

ACTION                   ORIENTATION




             DECISION
             WHAT INFO OPS DOES TO
             THE OODA LOOP OF THE
    OBSERVATION
                  ADVERSARY

                                     Synchronized Info Ops will
                                      disrupt its decision-action
ACTION                 ORIENTATION
                                      cycle by affecting:
                                     • WILL
                                     • UNDERSTANDING
                                      (including Comprehension)
                                     • CAPABILITY
            DECISION
          INFO OPS AND THE OODA LOOP

 A thought...



Never interrupt the enemy
when he is making a mistake.
       Napoléon Bonaparte
                 FOCUS OF
           INFORMATION OPERATIONS
                       ADVERSARY                              OWN                         UNCOMMITTED


                                                                                      Present and promote our
                Influence and adversaries      Reinforce and protect the WILL of
                                                                                      case to the uncommitted
    WILL         WILL and undermine his        allies in order to maintain friendly
                                                                                       audience IOT influence
                        cohesion.                       cohesion and FOA.
                                                                                      their WILL in our favour.




                 Affect understanding and         Ensuring that information is
UNDERSTANDING                                                                           Seek their support.
                therefore their perception.        safeguarded and assured.




                                                                                       Protect the decision
                Affect the decision making        Protect the decision making
  CAPABILITY                                                                          making capability of the
                capability of the adversary.          capability of allies.
                                                                                       uncommitted parties.
    OPERATING ENVIRONMENT
• Complex Environment
• Inter-related Systems and Entities
• PMESII: Political, Military, Economical, Social,
  Infrastructure, Information
• Intelligence Preparation of The Battlespace
  (IPB)
• Undesired/Unintentional Effects
       PRINCIPLES IN THE
       APPLICATION OF IA
• Commander’s Direction
• Centralised Planning and Decentralised
  Execution
• Early Involvement and Timely Preparation
• Close Coordination and Sequencing
• Timely Counter-Info Ops
       PRINCIPLES IN THE
       APPLICATION OF IA
• Accurate Intelligence and Information
• Comprehensive Targeting
• Establishing and Maintaining Credibility
• Performance and Effects Monitoring and
  Assessment
      INFO OPS FOUNDATION:
          INTELLIGENCE
• Info Ops MUST be founded on good
  Intelligence support
  – Timely, Accurate, Relevant
• Info Ops needs Intelligence to:
  – Plan, Execute, Assess Effectiveness of actions
• (Joint) Intelligence Preparation of the
  Battlefield
  – Human Factors and Human Network Analysis
     • Culture, Religion, Languages, Influences
  – Systems Analysis
     • IT, Infrastructure, Processes, Network Vulnerabilities
INFO OPS TARGETS
INFORMATION FILTERS
      INFO OPS EFFECTS VERBS

•   Convince   •   Exploit     •   Safeguard
•   Degrade    •   Expose      •   Negate
•   Deny       •   Influence   •   Neutralize
               •   Inform
•   Destroy                    •   Shape
               •   Mislead
•   Diminish   •   Prevent     •   Usurp
•   Disrupt    •   Protect     •   Deceive
                               •   Compel
  INFO OPS CORE ACTIVITY
          AREAS
                      • Influence Activities - affect,
   Influence            either directly or indirectly,
    Activity            available information and
                        perception of it

                      • Information Protection
   Information          Activity - denies information
                        on which decisions are made
Protection Activity

                       • Counter-Command Activity -
Counter-Command          affect the ability to acquire,
     Activity            process and transmit
                         information.
    DOCTRINAL CONCEPT OF
OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE INFO OPS
    INFORMATION OPERATIONS
           TOOL BOX
In order to conduct Info Ops and achieve
sought after effects, Info Ops will rely on an
array of military disciplines to support the
Commander’s plan
         INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES
As stated before, the construct of Information
Operations is divided into 3 core activities that will
affect WILL, CAPABILITY and UNDERSTANDING

The following Enablers will target the WILL of the
adversary and are categorized as Influence Activities
      PSYCHOLOGICAL
    OPERATIONS (PSYOPS)
Planned activities designed to influence attitudes
and behaviors, affecting the achievement of
political and military objectives
PRESENCE - POSTURE -
      PROFILE
                  PRESENCE - POSTURE -
                        PROFILE
      PPP is a process to assist forces in determining the attitude,
      deportment and level of security they should adopt in any
      given situation
 Presence      The impact that the mere presence of a force may have on perceptions might
               be significant. Deploying even limited capability to the right place at the right
               time can add substantial credibility to messages being delivered through
               other channels and provide a major contribution to deterrence.

   Posture     The posture of troops on the ground can demonstrate both commitment and
    (Body      intent and must be considered and balanced with the requirement for force
language of    protection. At the simplest level, the decision to wear berets instead of
 the forces)   combat helmets and body armour can make a considerable difference to the
               perceptions of both the enemy and local people.

  Profile      The public profile of commanders at all levels will impact on perceptions. The
 (What we      public role of the commander must be carefully analyzed and opportunities
   do)         used to transmit key messages.
                DECEPTION
•   Gain Surprise
•   Maintain Security
•   Delude Enemy      Friendly Freedom of Action
•   Mislead Enemy     Unfavourable Course of Action
•   Cause Enemy to Waste Resources...thus
     – Economize on Use of Friendly Resources
      CIVIL-MILITARY
    COOPERATION (CIMIC)
The military function that supports the
commander's mission by establishing and
maintaining coordination and cooperation
between the military force and civilian actors in
the commander’s Area of Operations
     PUBLIC INFORMATION
A distinctive function within DND/CF that helps
establish and maintain mutual lines of
communications, understanding, acceptance, and
cooperation between us and the public at large. PA is
about stating the facts
KEY LEADER ENGAGEMENT




                  Source DND
     INFORMATION PROTECTION
           ACTIVITIES

The following Enablers will target the
UNDERSTANDING of the adversary and are
categorized as Information Protection Activities
    OPERATIONS SECURITY
          (OPSEC)
The process by which a military operation is given
appropriate security, using passive or active means, to
deny the enemy knowledge of the
Dispositions, Capabilities, and
Intentions of friendly forces




                                          Photos by MCpl Paul MacGregor
COUNTER COMMAND ACTIVITIES

The following Enablers will target the
CAPABILITY of the adversary and are
categorized as Counter Command Activities
    PHYSICAL DESTRUCTION


   Adversary
     Will



Collateral Damage
                      Adversary

Public Support          Will
  ELECTRONIC WARFARE (EW)
Actions taken to exploit the
Electromagnetic (EM)
Spectrum that encompasses
the interception and
identification of EM
emissions, the employment
of EM energy, including
directed energy, to reduce
or prevent hostile use of the
EM spectrum and actions to ensure its
effective use by own/friendly forces
         COMPUTER NETWORK
          OPERATIONS (CNO)
An overarching term for offensive and
defensive actions regarding computer based
information systems

• Defence (CND)

• Attack (CNA)

• Exploitation (CNE)
KLE
                 Exploit To Gather Information...
                       Influence by affecting...
           Effects—an Evolving View
          Capability       Will

       Temporary                   Provide Information

   Disrupt      Deny             Assist      Persuade

                             Preserve           Change
Partial          Complete    Behavior           Behavior

   Degrade      Destroy          Dissuade    Mislead

       Permanent                  Withhold Information
BREAK
   APPLYING COMBAT POWER
Military capabilities and combat power are applied as
part of a campaign plan in order to reach operational
objectives and to achieve a desired end state

The aim of reaching enduring objectives and end states
that address the root causes of a conflict

Application of violence against an adversary will always
be the purview of the military and other security forces,
but it must be done in combination with a range of
activities and other agencies to reach those enduring
outcomes
  APPLYING COMBAT POWER
Combat power and capabilities are applied in a
harmonized and complementary manner across all
levels of command in order to achieve operational
objectives, and in turn, strategic end states

The land force conducts its operations using an effect-
based philosophy and process that ensures tactical
level activities are linked, through the effects they
produce, to operational objectives and the desired end
state
        PHYSICAL AND
    PSYCHOLOGICAL PLANES

• The object of conflict is the imposition of
  one’s will on an opponent and to alter the
  opponent’s behaviour
• To engage the enemy on multiple levels to
  affect will, comprehension and capability. It
  has to be on the two planes. Physical and
  the Psychological plane
APPLYING COMBAT POWER


   Physical Plane
           PHYSICAL PLANE
• Comprise physical objectives, actions and
  effects on the battlespace

• Includes military forces, the electromagnetic
  spectrum, civilian populations, armed
  factions, logistical resources and
  infrastructure, as well as geography,
  oceanography, and meteorology
               PHYSICAL PLANE
• Activities and theirs effects are tangible and measurable
• Attributes:
  - Industrious, intense in commodities and each is supported
    by the industrial and economic power of their respective
    sides
  - It is also easily observed, understood, estimated and
    measured (Science of conflict)


                  Do not itself lead to success
         But it will set the right conditions for success
APPLYING COMBAT POWER

     Physical Plane



 Physical Activities - Fires
   PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES - FIRES
• Tangible undertakings producing immediate first
  order effects on the physical plane through force
• Focus on physical destruction, attrition,
  disruption, or denial of essentials to adversaries
  through lethal and non-lethal fires and
  manœuvres (incl EW)
• Fires’ aim is to affect the target behaviour
  through physical means on the second order
  effect
    PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES - FIRES
• Synchronized to cause second order effects to
  undermine Will and shatter cohesion
• Contrary to belief, the second order effect will
  likely be decisive
• Physical destruction might not lead to success.
  Think in counter-insurgency terms where killing a
  large number of insurgents may create new
  recruits and/or other undesired effects
     APPLYING COMBAT POWER

 Physical Plane       Psychological Plane




Physical Activities            ?
      Fires
       PSYCHOLOGICAL PLANE
• Constitutes the perception, understanding,
  motivation, conviction, emotions, commitment, and
  ultimately the will of individuals and groups
• Represents the will, the cohesion, belief in a cause,
  indoctrination, judgement
• Emotive responses such as patriotism, ethnicity,
  religious zeal, esprit de corps and issues of self-
  interest
      PSYCHOLOGICAL PLANE
• Attributes:
  – The target or target audience includes adversaries,
    commanders, leaders in a population, systems, and
    groups of people within the environment
  – Same targeting process as Physical plane
  – Requires more training and intuition
  – Effects are not only on one plane
     PSYCHOLOGICAL PLANE
• First order of effect is difficult to grasp and
  quantify
• Referred to as the Campaign Winning capability
     APPLYING COMBAT POWER

 Physical Plane       Psychological Plane




Physical Activities       Influences
      Fires                Activities
     INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES
• Seek to predispose, persuade, convince,
  deter, compel, coerce a target audience to
  adopt a particular CoA
• Assist, encourage and reassure those that
  are following a desired CoA


              To be effective,
they must be synchronized and coordinated
       INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES
• Influence activities may be physical based
  psychological activities
• Example:
  – Feint or demonstration to deceive an enemy
    commander
  – Firepower demonstration to dissuade a former
    belligerent from violating a cease-fire
  – Construction of infrastructure to engender support
    and stability amongst a local population
            INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES
Influence Activities across the spectrum:

• A demonstration by forces supported by false radio traffic will affect the
  enemy commander’s perception, influence him to incorrectly identify the
  main effort, and move his forces away from the true intended area of
  attack, thus affecting his behaviour, and secondly, his capabilities

•   PSYOPS may be used in the form of a public radio station to bring
    accurate news to a local populace and to encourage their support for a
    COIN campaign

• CIMIC activities may assist in civil reconstruction to engender moral
  support from a government and its populace, and to enhance the
  perception of the campaign and its legitimacy amongst a local populace

• PA messages may be issued to counter enemy propaganda, and to
  ensure local and international understanding and support for the
  campaign and its operations
       INFLUENCE ACTIVITIES
• Can also create second order effects on the
  physical plane

• The key is to decide on the effect to be
  created:
   − Deception   - PSYOPS
   - CIMIC       - PPP
   - PA          - KLE
INFORMATION OPERATIONS
     INTEGRATION
             INTEGRATION
Physical Plane        Psychological Plane


Physical Activities   Influence Activities



       PLANNERS            INFO OPS
                           PLANNER
           WHERE IS INFO OPS
             IN ALL THIS?
Physical plane         Psychological plane




Physical Activities    Influence Activities



    IOCB      TIE-IN
                        INFO OPS
Questions?